3-button Missile Command for trak-ball

[bikeguychicago]

With the talk of the recent 8-bit Missile Command 3-button mod, was there a reason why there wasn't a 3-button mode in the original 5200 cart for use with the trackball (or why one doesn't exist presently)? It would seem like a no-brainer that such an implementation could use the 1/2/3 keys on the keypad for controlling the bases vs. using the stock buttons.

 

Just curious.

[Aking]

you can use the buttons to fire automatically or the keypad !

mc+.bin

[Lynxpro]

Let's be clear… the talk about the in-house Atari Inc 3-Base Missile Command for the 8-bit computers was for Atari employees and the custom Trak-Ball controllers they made for it. Like the arcade version, those custom controllers had 3 fire buttons. None of Atari's consumer Trak-Balls [the CX-22, the CX-80, and the CX-53] feature 3 fire buttons.

 

One might think it would've been easy for Atari to have done 3 fire buttons on the CX-53 but Dan Kramer had enough trouble getting them to make it standard for use with left and right handed players, not to mention making sure all of the buttons didn't use the same hardware as the 5200 joysticks so they'd be reliable.

 

I don't have any official info but I know Dan Kramer desires to have 3-Base Missile Command released. There's only 1 copy still in existence and it'll most likely have to be modded for A8 for those who don't want to customize their Trak-Balls to have additional fire buttons. From there, it would have to be transported over to the 5200 so it could be enjoyed with his favorite CX-53 controller.

 

Let's not forget there's also Missile Command+ over on A8 that to my knowledge hasn't been ported to the 5200 yet. It would have to remap the J,K, and L keys to either the keypad or an extra fire button…or hell, to a Jaguar JagPad for those few people with adapters.

[Aking]

Let's be clear… the talk about the in-house Atari Inc 3-Base Missile Command for the 8-bit computers was for Atari employees and the custom Trak-Ball controllers they made for it. Like the arcade version, those custom controllers had 3 fire buttons. None of Atari's consumer Trak-Balls [the CX-22, the CX-80, and the CX-53] feature 3 fire buttons.

 

One might think it would've been easy for Atari to have done 3 fire buttons on the CX-53 but Dan Kramer had enough trouble getting them to make it standard for use with left and right handed players, not to mention making sure all of the buttons didn't use the same hardware as the 5200 joysticks so they'd be reliable.

 

I don't have any official info but I know Dan Kramer desires to have 3-Base Missile Command released. There's only 1 copy still in existence and it'll most likely have to be modded for A8 for those who don't want to customize their Trak-Balls to have additional fire buttons. From there, it would have to be transported over to the 5200 so it could be enjoyed with his favorite CX-53 controller.

 

Let's not forget there's also Missile Command+ over on A8 that to my knowledge hasn't been ported to the 5200 yet. It would have to remap the J,K, and L keys to either the keypad or an extra fire button…or hell, to a Jaguar JagPad for those few people with adapters.

Missile Command+ A8 with keypad support ported to 5200 attached in this post

Edited July 6, 2015 by Aking

[Lynxpro]

Missile Command+ A8 with keypad support ported to 5200 attached in this post

 

 

That was fast. Now if I only had an AtariMax SD Cart!

[Big_Mo]

I always thought someone should have tried two make it so the left button fires from the left base, the right from the right, and BOTH from the center.

[Aking]

I always thought someone should have tried two make it so the left button fires from the left base, the right from the right, and BOTH from the center.

buttons for automatic fire,

1 2 3 on keypad for each base

[Big_Mo]

Yes, but those are a little harder to reliably press.

[82atari5200]

Electrically there's only one top button and one bottom button. It's absolutely impossible to tell whether it's left or right.

 

I always thought someone should have tried two make it so the left button fires from the left base, the right from the right, and BOTH from the center.

[Big_Mo]

Electrically there's only one top button and one bottom button. It's absolutely impossible to tell whether it's left or right.

 

On the trakball the fire buttons are side by side. That's what I was referring to, not the left and right button banks on either side of the ball.